BIRCH RUN, MI — As the Root Doctor Band jammed on stage,
John Lessnau of Flushing thought that "the food was OK, but the music is
awesome."

Lessnau and Dawn Lessnau, along with other fans sporting
cups of beer and trays of food, cheered on the band during the second
annual Blues, Brews and Barbecue on Friday, Aug. 23, in Birch Run.

Freddie Cunningham and The Root Doctor Band received a "very
warm and welcoming reception," said Cunningham's wife, Marge Mooney. The band
played at this event last year as well.

As the entertainment tent filled with music lovers,
preparations for the barbeque competition were underway. Down the row of trucks and campers, barbeque competitors
sliced, cut and cleaned meat for the Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned
competition.

Dick Bourdow of Frankenmuth with Bavarian Smoke BBQ team hung
out in his camp "waiting for the magic moment when we turn on the lights and
fire up the cooker," he said.

That magic moment was set for 1 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24.

Bourdow said that "temperature is critical, and timing is
everything" in preparing barbecue. He is preparing pork butt in three ways — money muscle, chunk and pulled, for the judges. He also lets
the meat rest in a cooler for a couple of hours before slicing it up.

The barbecue will be judged in appearance, taste and
tenderness.

Bourdow, the defending champion, is confident in his methods
and plans to prepare the meats in the same way, but made some changes to the
appearance.

"It seems to be working for us," he said. "It's getting good
scores."

Across from Bourdow's setup was Mike Hetzner of Essexville
with Bad Wolf BBQ, who competed last year and "ranked 16th, and that was my first
one. That's pretty good," he said.

"It's a friendly atmosphere, everyone will help you out but
still has that competitive spirit," Hetzner said while trimming meat.

"The chicken is the hardest, there's a lot of steps to
getting it right," he said. "You can really overpower it."

Back in the entertainment tent, people started dancing to
the music.

"We'll come back again," Lessnau said after returning to his
seat from the dance floor.

The barbecue judging is set from noon until 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 24.